Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine how left-behind children’s perceived personal rejection and emotional intelligence impact on the relationship between their peer attachment and pathological Internet use in China. Using the cluster random sampling method, a total of 406 left-behind children (aging 12.76 ± 2.13) from six rural primary and secondary schools in mainland China were recruited for the study (202 males and 204 females). The results of the analysis indicated that peer attachment negatively predicted left-behind children’s pathological Internet use. Perceived personal rejection had a mediating effect on the relationship between peer attachment and pathological Internet use, whereas emotional intelligence had a moderating effect on the relationships between peer attachment and perceived personal rejection and between peer attachment and pathological Internet use among these children. Moreover, peer attachment had a greater negative impact on the perceived personal rejection and pathological Internet use of left-behind children with high emotional intelligence compared with those of students with low emotional intelligence. These findings reveal the need for more support and interventions aimed at strengthening peer attachment and emotional intelligence of left-behind primary and secondary children and reducing their perceptions of personal rejection, which, in turn, reduces their pathological Internet use.
Highlights
Pathological Internet use (PIU) among adolescents has attracted attention worldwide [1] and it refers to excessive use of the Internet, which damages individuals’ social and psychological functions and affects their normal work and learning outcomes [2].Given its prevalence, the Internet plays an increasingly important role in the lives of children and teens
Common method bias was tested using Harman’s one-factor test [53]. Variables such as peer attachment, perceived personal rejection, emotional intelligence, and PIU are typically assessed using Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), which is performed to test the size of the interpretation ratio of the first common factor in unrotated factor analyses [21]
Our results indicate that perceived personal rejection has a partial mediating effect the relationship between peer attachment and PIU
Summary
The Internet plays an increasingly important role in the lives of children and teens. The Internet greatly facilitates individuals’ work, study, and life activities, PIU has emerged as a serious problem [3]. An average global prevalence of Internet addiction has been estimated at around 6%; the detection rate of PIU among adolescents was 13.62% [4]. As more children overuse the Internet, their problem behaviors related to PIU have arisen . Studies indicate that excessive use of the Internet is more likely to lead to sleep-related problems [5], emotional issues, poor academic performance [6], and various physical and mental health problems
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